Overridden

I am no huge fan of President Bush. Not sure how many people are. His attempt, however, to veto a bill that would stop the impending cuts to doctors via Medicare was moronic even for his standards. In his, and his administration's opinion, the cuts would basically harm the insurers and their very specialized and select managed-care programs for some Medicare recipients. This, by the way, is where Congress is getting the money to stop these cuts in payments to doctors.

"I support the primary objective of this legislation, to forestall reductions in physician payments," Bush said in his veto message. "Yet taking choices away from seniors to pay physicians is wrong." He called the bill "fiscally irresponsible" and charged that it "would undermine the Medicare prescription drug program."

First of all, if you keep cutting Medicare payments there will be no more doctors participating in the program and therefore no doctor to see. Correct me if I am wrong but that will cut patients' choices, won't it?

Secondly, the Medicare prescription drug program is an entitlement program that is just another anchor drowning this country in debt. Though it benefits some of the elderly (I still believe most could do quite well on $4 meds from Walmart), it benefits the pharmaceutical industry even more.

Luckily, Congress overrode his veto.

George, it is time you move on.

Munsoned

One of the saddest articles I have read recently came from the WSJ where it detailed how the Amish are getting hosed by some hospitals. If you don't know, the Amish people oppose health insurance as well as many other modern amenities. They believe it is their religious duty to provide for one another when sick. Unlike many others in our country, they actually pay their bills and do not rely on a government handout or bailout. As I have explained before, no one really has an idea of what things truly cost at hospitals. In other words, Medicaid pays one price and Medicare pays another. One insurance may pay a different price while another pays a different one. There is no transparency. The ONLY one who gets screwed are those patients who have no one to represent them and have to pay cash. They get the full and inflated price which is exactly what these bloated and disgusting hospitals have done to these "Old Order" Mennonites as described in the article. Many of this sect have some genetic disorders (long story) which need treatment. Now the hospital bills are starting to pile up and the collection agencies are being sent out like the hounds. Since the whole Amish community work together to pay these bills, the whole Amish community is being gouged and subsequently drained of all its cash.

Even having been asked to give the group a half-price discounts by doctors, these hospitals respond that they don't make special provisions for any one group. As stated above, they are out and out lying as they make special deals for every managed care company they deal with. So why won't they do it? Because the Mennonites are a cash cow and these administrators and their accountants love it. I am sure they count on that cash to keep them viable and there is no way they want to kill that pipeline. The Mennonites aren't stupid and are just asking that the prices not be so inflated and actually reflect the cost of what the care should be. They know how cost-shifting works and that hospitals make up the difference from those who don't pay a dime by propping up the bill for those that pay a lot of dimes.

The hospitals in the piece, by the way, are all nonprofit yet Hershey made almost $60 million last year and Lancaster made $137 million. As the Amish start to go bankrupt, I wonder if the CEOs there sleep well at night with their nice little bonuses? By the way, the logic of nonprofit hospitals making huge profits is as insane as the tobacco industry caring about your health. I will let my friends from one of my favorite movies explain that even better:

[On smoking] Ishmael: You should try to quit. They say its bad for your heart, your lungs. It quickens the aging process.

Roy: Who's done more research than the good people at the American Tobacco Industry? They say its harmless. Why would they lie? If you're dead, you can't smoke.